Kenyans have been voting in the first general election since 2007 when a disputed result triggered weeks of bloodshed.
The election is taking place under a new constitution, designed to prevent a repeat of the violence of 2007. These voters in the western town of Kisumu were in jubilant mood as they waited to vote.
A tight race is forecast between the current Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, and Uhuru Kenyatta, seen here casting his vote.
Long queues, like this one in the capital, formed outside polling stations in the early hours. The atmosphere was said to be calm.
Kenyans were voting for a president, MPs and senators, county governors and members of the newly-formed county assemblies.
Presidential candidates need support from across the country to be declared the winner so they cannot rely on support from their own ethnic groups alone.
After voting, people were asked to dip their fingernails in indelible ink. But those, like this ethnic Somali woman, whose fingernails are already covered with henna or varnish, had their hands marked instead.
Meanwhile, this Maasai man walked to his nearest polling station in Kumpa. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission said it aimed to get the provisional results for the presidential election out within 48 hours.
Polls were due to close at 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) but anyone still in the queue at that time was allowed to vote.
Well after darkness had fallen, votes were still being cast at ballot stations around the country.
The Kenyan police said they deployed nearly 100,000 officers to ensure there was no repeat of the violence of the previous election when more than 1,000 people died. Observers say it is the most important election in Kenya's history.
